Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks
England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
However, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
